Figma CEO says that job titles are merging - and everyone is a 'product builder'

"Designer, engineer, researcher-they're all becoming increasingly similar, according to Figma cofounder and CEO Dylan Field. Field scaled the company from an idea to a public company with over 1,600 employees. Many of those employees are now experimenting outside of their fields, he said on " Lenny's Podcast," adding that AI was making distinct job titles less and less relevant. "I think that we're seeing more designers, engineers, product managers, researchers, all these different folks that are involved in the product development process dip their toe into the other roles," he said."

"Field said that he saw a "shifting and merging of roles" in the last five years and expected it to accelerate in the next five years. Figma did research around this job merging, he said. Seventy-two percent of respondents said AI tools were one of the top reasons behind the expansion of roles. "Part of that is that AI makes everyone feel the need to be more of a generalist," Field said."

"In Figma's survey, 56% of non-designers said they engage "a great deal" in a design task. A year before, that figure stood at 44%, Field said. Fifty-three percent of Figma's respondents said that deep knowledge was required to do a task well, even with AI. Field said he found the number interesting and that it demonstrated an "impulse towards more generalist abilities.""

AI is driving role convergence across designers, engineers, product managers and researchers, encouraging cross-functional experimentation and broader skill sets. Figma reports a shifting and merging of roles over the past five years with acceleration expected. Company research found 72% of respondents named AI tools as a key reason for role expansion. Non-designers reporting significant involvement in design tasks rose from 44% to 56% year-over-year. Organizations are focusing on upskilling while many respondents still see deep domain knowledge as necessary, reinforcing a trend toward generalist abilities alongside specialist expertise.

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